The Reaper Cometh
by Escae
Summary: Many see Specter Knight as what he is: a faceless phantom, bent to the will of the Enchantress. But what made him this way? How could the fierce and determined human Donovan fall to such an evil force? In this recounting of Specter Knight's memories as Donovan, learn the backstory behind the legendary red cloak and golden scythe.


**The Reaper Cometh**

 **By Escae**

Night fell. A cool breeze swayed the grasses. Everything was bathed in those post-dusk tones of gray.

A massive tower of violet stone loomed over this landscape, not only blotting out moonlight but seeming to absorb it. It began a normal tower, with a square base, but the wings and balconies grew longer and more twisted as the tower rose. Spread out before it was all the kingdom of Pridemoor, and all its legions of knights.

But Donovan focused only on the tower's peak, where the object of his desperate search laid waiting. He studied the tower from his perch on a hilltop near the base, taking it in as a builder would assess his plans. Through the cloth hood covering his mouth and head, Donovan studied the tower, turning one of his wicked knives over in his hand as he did so.

Moments later, another man approached, clad in similar robes but with his head exposed. A ragged beard and flowing brown hair decorated his weary face.

"Luan," Donovan greeted, his tone reverent. "This is it."

The bearded man nodded in reply, similar awe on his features as he gazed up at the tower. "Yes. Tonight is the night."

Swiftly, and with silent grace, Donovan effortlessly sheathed his curved blade and dashed over the hilltop. He paused on the other side, the tower's silhouette framing his lithe body. "Well?"

"Yes, I'm coming, Donovan. Patience is key."

The younger grumbled. "Have we not shown limitless patience thus far? Now that the amulet is finally within our grasp, we must make haste."

Luan's eyes narrowed. "You're right, we have shown patience so far. Our cause is dire, but we can afford to wait a little longer for the sake of caution."

The two quietly gazed at the tower once more. Illuminated by moonlight, movement was visible on each of its levels, presumably monstrous guards, seeking to prevent invaders like the ones on the hilltop this very night.

Without a word, Donovan and Luan sprinted down the hill and across the short plain to the Tower of Fate. Upon reaching the first monster, a demonic purple rabbit-like creature, Luan stayed back while Donovan made quick work of it with his blades. Its dripping corpse slowly coalesced into a shining jewel, a small, blue cube worth several units of currency in Pridemoor. But neither man stopped to pick it up, their mission was not one of greed, but of the opposite, selflessness. Or at least for the time being.

Cutting down several more varieties of abominations no doubt created by the tower's lone humanoid inhabitant, the duo eventually came across a locked wooden chest. Donovan sliced it open with his knives, cutting through the brass lock like soft butter. Inside was a handful of spiked caltrops.

"Those will come in handy," Luan remarked, peering over his shoulder into the container. Donovan carefully slid them into his pouch, the adrenaline of battle not allowing him to say anything.

The two pressed on, weaving, stealthily and with the surety of the rising moon, until the sweeping grasses gave way to cold violet stone. They were now at the Tower of Fate.

Scurrying up the stones with expert grace, Donovan slithered his way onto the first balcony, several stories from the ground. Luan, preferring to take the safer route, made his way up a nearby staircase and ended up on an adjacent balcony.

"I'll support you from afar," he promised. "Just clear the way of monsters as you go. We'll be at the summit in minutes at this rate."

Donovan nodded his assent, already turning to the nearest creature. This one was surprisingly humanoid, clad in golden armor with a red plume. It carried a sword and shield as well, resembling closely the famous Knights of Pridemoor.

The rogue's blades hammered away at the Goldarmor's shield, wearing its strong metal away bit by bit. Finally, when it let its guard down to strike, Donovan leaped into the air, performing an awe-inspiring flip before lethally charging downward with the blade as merely an extension of his outstretched arm. The legendary Dash Slash technique.

Soon Donovan hit a wall. The next balcony was several more stories up, and this time, the stones were too steep and slick to climb. Instead, his companion Luan ran up to the higher balcony and extended a hand. Using the same move he had used to finish off the Goldarmor earlier, Donovan leaped up and used Luan to further escalate his momentum. Within a few action-packed seconds, he had alighted next to the bearded man on the higher balcony.

At this rate, the highest parapet was tantalizingly close. Dodging creatures and pitfalls alike, Donovan weaved back and forth, quick as a ninja, silent as a phantom. He utilized the Dash Slash again and again, sometimes not even deigning to alight upon the ground, chaining enemies together for a more efficient kill. He was unstoppable. Surely whatever awaited him at the tower's peak would not stand a chance.

Finally, the pair reached the top. Before entering the darkened chamber beyond, Donovan paused to grudgingly admire the beautiful view of Pridemoor shrouded in moonlight. He could see the outlines of the Propeller Knight's home in the Flying Machine, King Knight's home in Pridemoor castle, and the formerly desolate Lich Yard, now inhabited by a mysterious and cunning enemy known as the Phantom Striker.

Sadly, these Knights had once used their skills honorably, to protect and defend their kingdom at any cost. But slowly and surely, like all good things, it came to an end. Treasure Knight's greed took him to the depths of the ocean, and Plague Knight's twisted experiments led him far away from friendly eyes. The already reserved Polar Knight retreated to the frigid Arctic and Tinker Knight went to work on some "project" in the Clockwork Tower. Pridemoor was left defenseless, and should a threat arise, its knights would not be able to defend it.

 _This is why we must claim the amulet,_ Donovan thought, _so that darker powers may not lay hands upon it_.

Luan beckoned him from the darkened doorway. "Come, we have arrived."

Perhaps in another life, Donovan would have spent many long hours sitting on this very balcony simply gazing at the kingdom he called home. It offered a good vantage for sessions of pondering. But that was not his life, he had chosen the life of a rogue instead, destined to live in the shadows and never venture into the light. And that was just fine with him.

He leaped over a platform, and threaded through the pillars underneath another. The amulet's resting place loomed ever closer, and Donovan was determined to reach his goal. Finally, he emerged.

This truly was the highest room in the tower. Supports of the same purple stone upheld a vast vaulted ceiling. Shadows blanketed the remote corners of the room, offering a sense of claustrophobia despite the chamber's large countenance. Dragging his gaze from the roof, Donovan's piercing eyes alighted on the object of the night's search. Resting on top of a simply hewn pedestal sat the amulet.

Without thinking, Donovan took a single step forward. Then another. Then another. He extended his arm, gloved fingers grasping for the red stone, when…

 _Blam!_ Jerking his hand away, he turned to investigate. The cause of the noise was, surprisingly, a woman. She had burst through the solid stone walls, apparently. But more surprising was her clothing.

"A knight?!" He voiced, taking in her reddish armor and metal helm. More interestingly, she grasped a perfectly circular shield in her hand, bracing it protectively and yet also aggressively, as if it was a weapon.

"State your business here, intruders!" Her voice was young but strong and determined. Surely this was not the other female inhabitant of the tower, whose descriptions were more akin to a wizard than a knight.

"We wish to claim this amulet as our own," Donovan stated with equal confidence.

The woman glared daggers at the duo. "Many dark forces seek to wield this artifact. You may not have it, lest it fall into evil hands."

Before Donovan could reply, Luan stepped forward and answered. "Our intentions are good, I swear. We seek to save my son with its power."

She did not back down. "Save him by leaving this place and never looking back. Take Shield Knight's word for it, this amulet will bring you nothing but pain."

The aforementioned pain flashed in her eyes for a brief moment before their usual courageous demeanor clouded it out, but Donovan's ever-prying analytical ones saw it. "She is weak," he proclaimed quietly but forcefully. "We will not allow a pompous knight to stand in our way, not after they so deserted our proud kingdom years ago."

"Please," Shield Knight begged, her attitude completely changed now. "I seek only to protect our same kingdom. If I am defeated, this amulet will be free to fall-"

"Enough!" Donovan shouted in a rare bout of rage. "I will not have traveled all this distance for nothing. If you stand in our way, so be it." Not leaving any more room for conversation, he drew his twin blades and felt the caltrops in his pocket. The amulet was so close, their mission so near completion, that he would not surrender now. He could not.

With grim acceptance, Shield Knight readied her shield. Donovan wondered for a quick moment whether she would draw a weapon, but that inquiry was answered soon enough. With a crash, the armor-clad woman rushed toward him, charging with her shield before her as an unstoppable barrier. It was used for both defense and offense simultaneously, a tactic undefeatable by conventional means.

Fortunately, Donovan did not fight with conventional means. Leaping out of the way with an impressive show of agility, he rapidly whirled in midair and engaged his trademark Dash Slash. Shield Knight, however, was somehow ready for this and already charging in the opposite direction. His own unstoppable momentum carried him directly into the shield and smashed him to the floor.

Luan cried out shortly then bit his lip in silent acceptance. He was not well-versed in combat, and his body was aging, leaving his companion to fend for himself. Their entire quest relied on Donovan's skill in this single battle.

When Shield Knight next prepared her charge, he was ready. He scattered caltrops on the ground between the two combatants, then leaped into the air once again and began to tumble, effectively maintaining a "hovering" height. The woman's charge was interrupted briefly by the spiked balls, but it was window enough for the rogue. Again and again, he slashed at her exposed back, never coming down from the air by using his own velocity.

Shield Knight had taken quite a beating before recovering enough to raise her shield. When she began backing away, never taking her eyes off Donovan, he knew she would change tactics. Before he could react, the shield came spinning toward him, a flying disc of destruction. The eerie purple glow of nearby candelabras flickered as the shield whooshed past.

With a resounding clang, Donovan attempted to block it and failed. It wrenched the blades out of his hands and the projectile connected solidly with his jaw, throwing him back across the floor. One more hit like that, and he was down. Fortunately, the knockback had placed him right next to his fallen weapons, which he collected and rose to face Shield Knight once again in one fluid motion.

With a glare, he challenged, "This ends now, pompous knight."

She responded with matching ferocity. "Yes. This ends now, foolish rogue." In the same instant, both warriors flew with inhuman speed into the air. As if in slow motion, Luan watched on in horror as his companion was about to meet his end.

But Donovan had other plans. Shield Knight was fast, but he was faster. Before she could get close enough to strike him, he took advantage of her lowered shield and Dash Slashed from across the gap. The whole world fell silent but for the unmistakable _shing_ of his blades.

With a resounding crash, Shield Knight fell. Her armor collapsed to the ground in a heap of reddish-orange plates, her hair in a jumble and her shield carelessly discarded some distance away. Donovan's triumphant eyes turned to the amulet, when he finally realized what was happening.

The whole tower was collapsing. Without Shield Knight's magic to restrain it, it was to be crushed under its own weight. As a section of the ceiling crashed down mere inches away from Donovan, Luan's cry alerted him to the fact his companion was still there.

"Donovan!" he cried in anguish. "Don't worry about the amulet! We can come back for it later!"

"What?!" he shouted over the roar of falling rubble. "No, not after we've come so close!"

"Donovan!" Luan repeated. "Please, it's too dangerous! Leave it!"

Donovan paused. Luan stared pleadingly at his cloth-covered back. The former panted heavily, his spine sagging and shoulders slumped with exhaustion. What Luan missed when taking this in, however, was the formerly triumphant gleam replaced with a lustful greed that turned his otherwise noble and thought-provoking eyes into those of a man driven to madness.

"No." Donovan had said it quietly, but Luan could still hear him. Without turning around or pausing, he strode forward to the amulet. He could see it, only feet away. The floor shook again. A massive chunk of stone collided with the floor, but he did not flinch. His entire being was focused upon one objective: the amulet. Where determination and nobility had driven the rogue before, now was nothing but selfishness. Because, you see, even if you're doing it for another, your cause can still be one of greed.

He extended a gloved hand. His leather gauntlets shuffled in the fabric of his cloak. Dust flew through the air, creating a violet haze, but he could still see through it, still see the amulet…

Then, in the blink of a greedy eye, his focus was wrenched away. His body was not under his control any longer, so he could not help but comply to some otherworldly force that caused him to look up at the ceiling of the Tower of Fate one last time. Out of the corner of his eye, he also saw Luan.

" _Donovan_!" he shrieked for the third time, his voice cracking with pain even over the steady patter of falling stones.

But Donovan did not hear. He did not see what was in front of his open eyes. He could only drag himself through the endless pit filled with his new motto: _I failed_.

 _I failed. I failed. I failed._

He fell for what could've been minutes, or hours.

 _I failed. I failed. I failed._

It could've been days.

 _I failed. I failed. I failed._

Weeks.

 _I failed. I failed. I failed._

Months, even.

 _I failed. I failed. I failed._

 _I failed._

Eventually, when time in its entirety had become swallowed, Donovan collided gently with the floor. _Wait, gently?_ Cautiously standing up through the haze of dust outside and ' _I failed_ ' inside, he peered at the space in front of him. He was back underneath the tower, in some kind of dungeon or sub-basement. No culprit was standing in front of him, but as his gaze dragged upward…

There. A green-skinned wizard clad in dark robes. Fierce violet flames surrounded her, giving the appearance of great power.

"Hmm." The woman thought for a moment, then her face shattered into a smile. "Ha ha ha! So, look what the fates have brought me."

Even through his dazed state of self-loathing, Donovan could understand her. He was just too weak to reply.

"Too weak to reply, mm?"

Donovan blinked.

"Well, that's alright, I'll do the talking." She hovered closer, so he could make out her admittedly beautiful face. "I've got a deal for you."

After a moment, he croaked, "There's nothing I want."

"That remains to be seen, mm? Why don't you listen to what I have to offer."

He stood silently, eyes scanning the woman for any sign of danger.

"I shall count your silence as a 'yes, Enchantress, I am interested.' Oh, that's right, I'm the Enchantress."

His mouth parted in a slight 'O' of understanding, but otherwise did not respond.

"I reside here in the Tower of Fate. And frankly, I'm looking to take over Pridemoor. I sense that you are not happy with the current situation with the Knights in our kingdom?" Without giving him a chance to answer, she continued, "I seek to recruit all the knights and form a new Order of No Quarter to help me… manage… the kingdom."

"What's in it for me?"

"I shall grant you the undeath you seek. And I will return your humanity once you have recruited all the knights."

Donovan thought about this for a moment, but his defeated mind could not resist very well. "I have little choice."

The Enchantress grinned. "Indeed." Her friendly gaze turned ferocious as she extended both of her arms, shooting the purple fire toward Donovan's barely standing form. Suddenly, his body convulsed with raw power. He rose steadily into the air, whirling again and again, but was not fazed. This new body was more powerful, it lacked the weakness that allowed Donovan to fail Luan back above. That kind of power was just what he wanted.

The power never to fail again.

The Enchantress cackled with twisted glee as she looked down at her new creation. Mockingly, she said, "I hereby dub thee… my Specter Knight!"

Thunder exploded outside, turning the cavern black and white for a moment. It was enough. When the blast subsided, a faceless phantom stood in Donovan's face. He wore a golden visor and plates to mock the very Knights he sought to recruit, along with his trademark blood-red cape. But this cloak was not dulled with age, it shone as if the very fabric was polished. It signified Donovan's new body, and the power he now possessed.

Extending a spectral hand, he grasped his fingers around what was not there before. A massive scythe, its razor-sharp edge reflecting in the torchlight. As the Enchantress studied her newest creation with the eye of a conqueror, Donovan's mental mantra faded away. No longer did he voice, ' _I failed_ ,' but not he echoed a cry that soon the whole kingdom, nigh, the whole world would hear and tremble at.

 _The reaper cometh_.


End file.
